{"id":7681,"date":"2023-06-22T10:08:49","date_gmt":"2023-06-22T00:08:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/?p=7681"},"modified":"2024-12-24T10:27:41","modified_gmt":"2024-12-24T00:27:41","slug":"forest-biomass-fuels-australias-push-toward-green-aviation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/forest-biomass-fuels-australias-push-toward-green-aviation\/","title":{"rendered":"Forest Biomass Fuels Australia&#8217;s Push Toward Green Aviation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Australian efforts to make air travel greener have received a major boost with the establishment of the Jet Zero Council to support a more sustainable aviation industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The council brings together a cross-section of senior stakeholders from across the aviation sector and its supply chains to lead efforts to deliver net zero aviation in Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The council will also coordinate across the sector to provide advice to Government on issues related to the aviation industry\u2019s transition to net zero emissions<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To support the transition, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency announced that it would be investing $30 million into the liquid biofuel market \u2013 to be made from forestry and agricultural waste as well as used cooking oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Biofuel has emerged as a lucrative market for forestry. <a href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/bluescope-is-looking-to-biochar-tech-to-future-proof-steel\/\">&nbsp;Last month Wood Central reported on how Blue Scope is using biochar technology to create \u2018green steel production\u2019<\/a> whilst Kiland has launched the world\u2019s largest biomass project in South Australia. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the opportunity for liquid fuel is endless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Wednesday, Federal Transport Minister Catherine King announced the launch of the Jet Zero Council and its membership following industry talks in February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We are formalising the membership of council so that we can begin that work of not only building a Sustainable Aviation Fuel industry here in Australia but also&#8230; look at reducing emissions,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"KNGSOt2aOIQ\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Can sustainable aviation fuel clean up flying? | FT Rethink\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KNGSOt2aOIQ?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>In March 2023, the Financial Times explored the emergence of sustainable aviation fuels and whether it can be commercially scaleable. Footage courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@FinancialTimes\">@FinancialTimes<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are Sustainable Aviation Fuels?<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.virginaustralia.com\/au\/en\/about-us\/sustainability\/sustainable-fuel\/#:~:text=Sustainable%20aviation%20fuels%20%28SAF%29%20are%20low%20carbon%20fuels,must%20be%20certified%20under%20a%20sustainability%20certification%20scheme.\">Sustainable Aviation Fuels<\/a> (SAF) are renewable hydrocarbon sources that are not fossil fuel-based.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They include sources such as used cooking oil, municipal waste, and forestry biomass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Worldwide, aviation firms have committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 with 65 per cent of emission cuts expected to come from the use of sustainable fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2022\/12\/australia-rejects-forest-biomass-in-first-blow-to-wood-pellet-industry\/#:~:text=On%20December%2015%2C%20Australia%20became%20the%20first%20major,cannot%20be%20classified%20as%20a%20renewable%20energy%20source.\">In December 2022<\/a>, Australia excluded native forest biomass from its definition of \u2018renewable energy source\u2019 under its \u2018Renewable Energy Target\u2019 &#8211; with renewable biomass for the fuel coming from plantation sources only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We know Australians love to fly; aviation has come roaring back. But we have our part to play very much in getting to net zero and getting that important target which is now legislated.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The council &#8211; which includes representatives from Qantas, Virgin, Boeing, Airbus, BP, Brisbane Airport Corporation, and the Department of Defence &#8211; is expected to push for cuts to aviation emissions and provide advice to government agencies on creating a sustainable fuel industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For more information about the council, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.infrastructure.gov.au\/infrastructure-transport-vehicles\/aviation\/australian-jet-zero-council\">visit the Department of Infrastructure website.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Report: Forest and wood-based biomass plays an important role in Net Zero <\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p>According to a report commissioned by the International Energy Agency (IEA), demand for biomass is expected to boom over the next few decades as the world\u2019s economy decarbonises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/articles\/what-does-net-zero-emissions-by-2050-mean-for-bioenergy-and-land-use\">In the Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050 report<\/a>, the IEA supports a shift away from bioenergy produced by food crops \u2013 known as \u2018conventional bioenergy feedstocks\u2019 with a focus on organic waste streams, forest and wood residues, short-rotation woody crops and forestry plantings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The report shows that liquid biofuel is expected to surge over the next decade as petroleum vehicles dominate the roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"520\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bioenergy-demand-in-the-net-zero-scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-1024x520.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7683\" style=\"width:574px;height:291px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bioenergy-demand-in-the-net-zero-scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-1024x520.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bioenergy-demand-in-the-net-zero-scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-600x304.jpg 600w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bioenergy-demand-in-the-net-zero-scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-300x152.jpg 300w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bioenergy-demand-in-the-net-zero-scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-768x390.jpg 768w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bioenergy-demand-in-the-net-zero-scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-1536x779.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bioenergy-demand-in-the-net-zero-scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-696x353.jpg 696w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bioenergy-demand-in-the-net-zero-scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-1068x542.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bioenergy-demand-in-the-net-zero-scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-828x420.jpg 828w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bioenergy-demand-in-the-net-zero-scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-1320x670.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bioenergy-demand-in-the-net-zero-scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central.jpg 1543w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: IEA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/articles\/what-does-net-zero-emissions-by-2050-mean-for-bioenergy-and-land-use\">2021: Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050 Report<\/a>, Licence: CC BY 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>However, as electricity and hydrogen power vehicles replace petroleum, advanced liquid biofuels will shift to areas harder to electrify like shipping and aviation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A key finding from the report looks at biomass supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs well as allowing a much greater level of bioenergy crop production on marginal lands, short-rotation woody crops can produce twice as much bioenergy per hectare as many conventional bioenergy crops,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The IEA asserts that an increase in short-rotation woody bioenergy production from marginal lands, as well as the switch from conventional bioenergy crops to advanced short-rotation woody crops, would sequester around 190 million tonnes of CO2 by 2050, reducing Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use emissions by 140 million tonnes of CO2 relative to today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"551\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Global-bioenergy-supply-in-the-Net-Zero-Scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-1024x551.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7684\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Global-bioenergy-supply-in-the-Net-Zero-Scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-1024x551.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Global-bioenergy-supply-in-the-Net-Zero-Scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-600x323.jpg 600w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Global-bioenergy-supply-in-the-Net-Zero-Scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-300x162.jpg 300w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Global-bioenergy-supply-in-the-Net-Zero-Scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-768x414.jpg 768w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Global-bioenergy-supply-in-the-Net-Zero-Scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-1536x827.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Global-bioenergy-supply-in-the-Net-Zero-Scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-696x375.jpg 696w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Global-bioenergy-supply-in-the-Net-Zero-Scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-1068x575.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Global-bioenergy-supply-in-the-Net-Zero-Scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-780x420.jpg 780w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Global-bioenergy-supply-in-the-Net-Zero-Scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central-1320x711.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Global-bioenergy-supply-in-the-Net-Zero-Scenario-2010-2050-Wood-Central.jpg 1545w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: IEA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/articles\/what-does-net-zero-emissions-by-2050-mean-for-bioenergy-and-land-use\">2021: Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050 Report<\/a>, Licence: CC BY 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSustainably managed forest plantations established outside of existing forested land can increase carbon stocks while at the same time sustainably producing biomass,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For more information, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/articles\/what-does-net-zero-emissions-by-2050-mean-for-bioenergy-and-land-use\">including a copy of the report visit the IEA website<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Energy Minister: Climate emergency is Australia&#8217;s job opportunity<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aapnews.com.au\/news\/australian-efforts-to-clean-air-travel-get-30m-boost\">Energy Minister Chris Bowen<\/a> said a local SAF industry could create thousands of jobs while reducing Australian airlines&#8217; dependence on imported fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The world&#8217;s climate emergency is Australia&#8217;s jobs opportunity&#8230; a homegrown sustainable aviation fuels industry could create more than 7400 jobs by 2030, most of them in regional areas,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Australia&#8217;s strong agricultural sector means we could be a global leader by scaling up domestic production of renewable fuel for exports.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bioenergy Australia CEO, Shahana McKenzie welcomed the changes, saying they could help to reduce hurdles for producers and accelerate investments in the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Australia has the opportunity to play a leading role in the deployment of sustainable aviation fuels for the region,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"0_JaaJhor3U\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Sustainable aviation fuel plays a \u2018significant role\u2019 for Australian energy\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0_JaaJhor3U?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Last month, Bioenergy Australia CEO spoke to Sky News Australia about the role that SAF in Australia&#8217;s net zero transition. Footage courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@SkyNewsAustralia\">@SkyNewsAustralia<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-au\/travel\/news\/australian-efforts-to-clean-air-travel-get-30m-boost\/ar-AA1cOYWK\">Meanwhile<\/a>, Australian start-up Dovetail, backed by regional airline Rex, has revealed plans to use hydrogen fuel-cell technology in its latest efforts to create zero-emission planes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dovetail has also signed a deal with Hyundai to use the company&#8217;s hydrogen fuel-cell system in a future zero-emissions plane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dovetail chief executive David Doral said the use of hydrogen technology could create &#8220;innovative solutions for a sustainable future in aviation&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The company is expected to test the technology in flights next year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Australian efforts to make air travel greener have received a major boost with the establishment of the Jet Zero Council to support a more sustainable aviation industry. The council brings together a cross-section of senior stakeholders from across the aviation sector and its supply chains to lead efforts to deliver net zero aviation in Australia. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23073,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[50,46,45],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[69],"class_list":{"0":"post-7681","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-australia","8":"category-industry","9":"category-sustainability"},"authors":[{"term_id":69,"user_id":1,"is_guest":0,"slug":"woodcentral","display_name":"Wood Central","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/MASTER-BRAND-MARK_POS_RGB-e1676449549955.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/MASTER-BRAND-MARK_POS_RGB-e1676449549955.jpg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7681"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7681\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23074,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7681\/revisions\/23074"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7681"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=7681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}